Relativity of Airborne Fluoride Emissions on Human Health in an Australian Capital
Industry and regulators are frequently called upon to monitor ambient hydrogen fluoride levels generated by industrial processes. This paper examines the contribution of hydrogen fluoride emissions to ambient levels and their relevance to human health with particular case study city of Perth.
Perth (16 kg/km2/annum) ranks mid-range (4-50 kg/km2/annum) amongst Australian capital cities in terms of air emissions of fluoride containing compounds as noted in the 2004/2005 National Pollutant Inventory (air: 59%; land: 34%; water: 7%). Reconsideration of total fluoride inputs to the environment find that fluorosilicic acids predominate, reconfiguring the partition (air: 27%; land: 15%; water: 58%) and resulting in a doubling of the total mass reported in Perth (243,123→535,443 kg). A similar amplification is expected in other States. The omission of fluoride additions to water reporting is an arbitrary one environmentally for humans, as the ion is almost 100% available biologically.
The results of the survey indicate a safety margin of 68 X at recently revised irritancy levels. Dietary sources also fall within no adverse effect levels, however excessive consumption of water, tea and/or cigarettes pose the principal health risks to sensitive individuals. Ideally health information publications for concerned stakeholders should include total not selected contributors to environmental fluoride.
Keywords: fluoride, hydrogen fluoride, ingestion, Western Australia, Perth